Fox Powers Up David Guggenheim And Tony Scott On 'Narco Sub'

Twentieth Century Fox acquired the action thriller spec Narco Sub from David Guggenheim with Tony Scott attached to direct. Simon Kinberg’s Genre Films is producing with Tony and Ridley’s Scott Free shingle. Guggenheim developed the script with Kinberg and it has become a priority at Fox which is home to Scott Free and Genre. Described as reminiscent of Scott’s Crimson Tide and Man on Fire, plot for Narco Sub involves the semi-submersible crafts South American drug cartels employ to smuggle cocaine into the U.S. Tony Scott last directed Unstoppable for Fox with Denzel Washington starring. Kinberg is writer/producer of Fox’s This Means War as well as a producer on the just wrapped Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Neal Blomkamp’s Elysium. Guggenheim has a bunch of works in progress. His script Santiago based on a pitch Fox bought last year is out to filmmakers with Kinberg producing. Guggenheim also has Safe House opening February 10 with Washington and Ryan Reynolds. Also in post is Guggenheim’s spec project Medallion with Nic Cage directed by Simon West from Millennium Films. McG also just signed to direct Guggenheim’s Puzzle Palace for Summit, and Guggenheim just sold another pitch 364 to Universal for Ron Howard to direct. Steve Asbell will oversee Narco Sub for Fox, Michael Costigan and Elishia Holmes for Scott Free and Aditya Sood for Genre Films. Guggenheim’s agent is David Boxerbaum and manager is Adam Kolbrenner at Madhouse.

18 Comments

Salty Dan • on Nov 28, 2011 6:26 pm

Let me think about this: Drugs, subs, and Tony Scott? Yep, I’m in.

dt • on Nov 28, 2011 6:26 pm

I honestly think this sounds terrible, really terrible, but because I loved Man on Fire and the look of his films as well as camera work are always awesome, I probably won’t keep myself from going to see this.

shame on me

babybruck • on Nov 28, 2011 6:26 pm

Yay… more roles for Latino actors. Edward James Olmos as a cartel head? Andale!!!

dt • on Nov 28, 2011 6:26 pm

NO. I love him as an actor, loved American Me, but no that would be an injustice to putting in veteran Mexican actors FROM Mexico that would play a lot better for Cartel Heads.

Rocky Robillard • on Nov 28, 2011 6:26 pm

Tony needs a new hat. Desperately.

jer • on Nov 28, 2011 6:26 pm

That is a very literal title.

Development • on Nov 28, 2011 6:26 pm

I believe they are also developing Space Accident about an ill-fated mission to the moon.

PS Another hot project is Runaway Train which, deceptively, is not the sequel to Unstoppable but rather an adaptation of the 1994 Soul Asylum hit.

Rails • on Nov 28, 2011 6:26 pm

It’s never coming back.

G. fenwick • on Nov 28, 2011 6:26 pm

Where does Boxerbaum work?

GFY • on Nov 28, 2011 6:26 pm

What ever happened to Tony Scott’s Don Aronow project at FOX 2000???

Holden Barbarossa • on Nov 28, 2011 6:26 pm

A good director is like a good waiter: you never know they’re there.

I can’t say that about Tony Scott.

And oh yeah,Kinberg sucks.

jessr15 • on Nov 28, 2011 6:26 pm

Not a big Simon Kinberg fan, but… bitter much?

Too True • on Nov 28, 2011 6:26 pm

Described as CRIMSON TIDE meets MAN ON FIRE?

What? That makes no sense. In fact it sounds patently asinine.

Furthermore– Tony Scott didn’t write this script. So that means it was developed to be derivative to two prior Tony Scott films?

And I couldn’t agree more: Kinberg is everything that is wrong with the system. Here’s a guy who’s been dining out like Louis XIV off of MR & MRS SMITH, which was a plot hole-ridden mess that only popped because the stars got together. That movie was a success that overcame a horrible script; it was not a success because of a great script.

Kinberg should send commission checks to Brad Pitt’s dick.

Read his body of work. It speaks for itself.

Smart to “produce” and be a “studio finisher,” if deep down you don’t really have the skill/talent.

Brett N • on Nov 28, 2011 6:26 pm

Have any of the people involved actually SEEN these “narco-subs?”

They’re basically made with plywood and snorkels and chickenwire. They’re not even really submarines, they’re more accurately mostly-submerged homemade boats that go very, very sllloooowwwww.

It’s like trying to build an action movie around an old broken-down Volkswagen van, except because it’s being used to smuggle drugs I guess it’s exciting?

Whatever. At least it’s not a board game.

Captain Awesome • on Nov 28, 2011 6:26 pm

@Brett N – Best Post Ever. Plywood-Snorkels & Chicken Wire. Love it. That’s the film I want to see. Edward James Olmos building that and whispering…

“Now we’re ready!”

And KABOOM. Explosions. Gunfire. Denzel running with his potbelly in slow motion with Justin Bieber in tow as a trainee.

LPB • on Nov 28, 2011 6:26 pm

!La Boata!

Excremental • on Nov 28, 2011 6:26 pm

Is he still wearing that effing hat?

scribe • on Nov 28, 2011 6:26 pm

agreed the premise is DOCUMENTARY territory. Save this for PBS Frontline